British Pop Group Girls Aloud Call It Quits

The reality TV-spawned girl group announced the news March 20 as their 10th anniversary tour wound-down at Liverpool’s Echo Arena.

The five-some of Kimberley Walsh, Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding and Nicola Roberts bow out with 20 top ten U.K. singles including four number ones, a Brit Award and millions of records sold – predominantly in Britain.

The end was confirmed in a message Tweeted from the band’s official account and posted on their Website. In the note, the group said, “Dear Alouders, we just want to say from the bottom of our hearts Thank you!! This tour has been an amazing experience and the perfect chance to say thank you for being on this journey with us through a decade.”

Girls Aloud rose to prominence in 2002 with victory in the British TV talent series "Popstars: The Rivals." Their first release, “Sound of the Underground,” was a monster smash spending four weeks atop the Official U.K. Singles Chart. Each of their five studio albums was certified platinum (300,000 units) in Britain.

Following the last of those albums, the No. 1 U.K. hit “Out of Control” from 2008, the band went on hiatus. Each of the members pursued their own music projects, while Sarah Harding tested her talents on the big screen. Nadine Coyle, the group’s Irishwoman, embarked on a mission to crack the U.S.

Girls Aloud were named the "Most Successful Reality TV Group" by Guinness World Records in 2011 and reportedly had a net worth of £30 million ($45 million) in 2010. All told, the group sold more than 4.3 million singles. According to the Official U.K. Charts Company, Girls Aloud are the biggest-selling girl group of the 21st century